What We Need
by MeredithBrody
Summary: Brody and Pride talk about the events of the last few days, and things go a little too far. (Prody, 2x21 tag)
**I meant to get this written last week, but then I ended up getting taken away by my NaNo fic.
-Shin xx**

Brody had decided to just go back to the office after checking in at the latest scene, it wasn't as though she'd sleep if she was at home anyway. All she'd end up doing would be emptying boxes, or she'd go out and get herself into more trouble. It wasn't worth it tonight, not after the day she'd had. At least she had the company of a friend tonight too. "Days like these are why I'm glad you're here." Pride said as he handed her a mug of coffee, and after today she was a little surprised that she didn't hesitate a little.

"Why?" Her main question though was about why he was glad she was here. Most people wouldn't be happy about the person that seemed to be a root cause of a lot of trouble. Not all the trouble that had befallen their team, but a fair chunk of it.

"Because even after everything that happened to you today you kept your cool." She knew that was him complimenting her, but she just couldn't really accept it. She was always like this, and most of the time it wasn't keeping her cool, it was being so detached she couldn't do anything else.

"When haven't I?" Was how she phrased it instead. At least the way he said it sounded as though it was a good thing, rather than the way her mind put it, which was most certainly not a good thing.

"That's a fair point, I can't really argue with you there." Pride smiled, and she took a drink of her coffee to try and deflect any other questions. Though, as he normally did, Pride took things off in another direction. "You've done well since everything, I'm happy about that."

"I've still not adjusted, but I'm getting there. I hope anyway." She didn't want to talk about that. She didn't want to talk about Emily's case. She knew he was persistent, and that he wouldn't actually leave it at that, so redirection was the only thing that she could do. "Are you OK?"

"You're asking me that?" There was a hint of disbelief in his voice, and that made her laugh for some reason. Of course he couldn't believe that she was asking after all she'd been through, but she wasn't concerned about herself right now.

"Well, you're not normally this quiet." She smiled, taking a long sip of her drink. She just wanted to make sure that he was really OK.

"It's been a day, Brody." He commented. She wasn't talking about just today, she was talking about the last couple of weeks. There was no point pushing it though. She'd move on.

"I know… most of it happened to me." She just felt like pointing that out. The day had been hard for them all, but it seemed to be mostly her. Maybe she was taking the poisoning a little too personally. "You know, that's the second time you've directly saved my life."

"Second?" He asked, clearly not quite remembering the first time. She remembered it. She remembered everything about it. The sounds, the smells. Everything. It was imprinted on her mind. She finished off her coffee and put the mug on the side before she spoke.

"Remember about… nearly 2 years ago, just a couple of months after I moved down here full time. The escaped convict who was leaking info." She trailed off, letting him realise the case she meant on his own. She was so used to him being there to keep them safe by now that she didn't even think about those early days, when she was still unsure.

"He had you in a death grip, now I remember." He nodded slowly, looking up at her over the rim of his mug before copying her earlier movement and putting it on the side.

"You saved me then too. Killed him dead." She would never forget that moment. Being held, knowing that if she tried to struggle even a little she'd be dead. That she was only seconds away. It was opportunity, and that terrified her.

"I'd do it again if it meant saving you." She'd seen the look in his eyes after they'd caught the guy, and she saw that same look in his eyes now. Brody had no idea what it meant, but it meant something, and the fact that he paused before speaking again told her even more. "Now the more important question, are you OK?"

"I'm alive." She answered non-committally. Brody knew that his heart was in the right place, and he just wanted to know that she was doing alright, but it was such a hard question or her to answer. She was, but she also wasn't. She wanted to be, but she couldn't be. Nothing seemed to be going as planned in her life now, and she felt totally out of control.

"Brody. You've not been yourself recently." Pride commented quietly, she understood that he wanted to keep everything private. Wanted to keep things between them, even though nobody else was there.

"I just… things changed you know?" She probably didn't need to say that, she didn't need to point out how much she'd been through since she moved to New Orleans. He'd been there for all of them, which was a lot.

"Yes, I do." He nodded, he'd been there with her when they'd arrested Robert Nolan for her sister's murder. That had been the biggest change in her life, and she still wasn't really over it. She wasn't sure she ever would be. Then today.

She felt like she'd almost lost her life today. That was then she realised that that man had wanted to actually kill her. She'd never truly thought about someone wanting to murder her before. Kill her, sure… but murder. "Then today… I was almost murdered… and then the guy who tried to kill me was killed." It seemed so confusing, such a fast turn around. "I can't seem to get my head around it."

"It's been intense." Pride nodded, and she just thought that that was one way to speak about today. Intense, painful, hard, disturbing. They were all today's thoughts.

"Yeah but you know the thing I focus on." She tried to think of the easiest way to phrase it. To tell him that all she was thinking about was the fact that he was the one who had saved her, that she was so close, and that he was there to make sure she wasn't killed.

"That is?" He asked, clearly looking very confused. Brody couldn't help but chuckle, as she still had no way to say anything about what she was truly thinking.

"That you saved me again." She smiled a little, as she liked thinking of it that way. She'd almost been poisoned, but Pride had saved her. He'd stepped in and saved her. She knew he'd do it for any of them, but somehow, the way he'd acted afterwards, made it feel more personal. "I know you'd do it for the others but…"

"It's different with you. I know." He said, and the distance between them still hadn't opened up. She looked between his eyes and his lips, smiling softly, watching as his tongue darted out to wet his lips. "Brody…"

"Just let it happen, King." She whispered, then leant forward and kissed him as hard as she could. She wanted this, she'd wanted this since the day she came to New Orleans. It had been nearly two years, and she couldn't quite believe that this was happening at all, or that he still hadn't stopped.

"We shouldn't have done that." He whispered, breaking the kiss and pulling away a fraction. His lips still brushed against hers as he spoke, making it even harder for her to pretend that this wasn't happening. "I'm your senior agent and we shouldn't have done that."

"Maybe not, but there is nobody here but us. Don't overthink something that we both want." She whispered against his lips, not moving away even an inch, she just pulled back far enough to be able to speak.

"After today…" He started, but she cut him off with another kiss, this time he pulled her closer to him as the kiss got more and more intense. She was quite happy with that, and she felt how much he needed someone too.

Clearly, Pride had needed this just as much as she had. The way his hands skipped her back or hips and went straight to her ass told her that. She'd caught him staring at her ass on more than one occasion, so it was probably his dream come true to finally be able to hold it. Pride was, most definitely, an ass man, and she liked that.

He pulled her through and up to his room, and she just followed along, stopping and kissing him every few metres. It seemed like now they'd started they couldn't stop. Next thing she knew their clothes were in piles on the floor and she was over him on the bed. It all seemed to be rushing by, but that didn't stop what she wanted tonight. When they were done they just cuddled up together, and for the first time in weeks Merri fell into a sound and deep sleep. Maybe it was something about trusting who she was with, but she was comfortable for once.

"You slept last night." Pride commented when they were both awake, and all she could do was smile and nod. She had slept, she'd slept for a long while from all accounts, and that made her happy. Getting enough sleep would surely help her get through all of this.

"I did, thank you." She ended up laughing. It sounded so hilarious and formal. She couldn't help but look down and realise that, beneath the covers, the were both still totally naked. She didn't feel self conscious though, for almost the first time ever. "I know we should talk about that at some point."

"Just let it happen. That's what you said last night." Pride smiled and put his hand gently onto her stomach. She liked feeling that closeness. That intimacy. Something that they had deserved together after the build up of the last two years. "You were right then, and you're right now."

"It really was very nice." She laughed and leant over to kiss him as hard as she could. She put all the unspoken feelings into it. There were things they couldn't and shouldn't say to one another, and that was what she was trying to put into the kiss, so they'd never have to say the things that shouldn't be said. "That's the last one for now."

"For now?" He asked with a smirk, and all she could do was laugh a little. Of course he would focus on that part. One look at him told her that he'd understood all that she'd tried to put into the kiss.

"Well, I might want to kiss you again one day." She teased and smiled, it didn't take much, but just that moment of teasing helped her feel like this wasn't going to be something else that span out of control on her. She could manage this and it would be fine. Nothing needed to change, in spite of what they'd done.

"Any time, Brody." She grinned and watched him again for a few moments. The night before had not been what she'd expected, and it also hadn't been anything like what she was planning on doing with her night. But she felt better, she felt safer. She'd almost been killed, and that had terrified her in a way she couldn't tell anyone. But now she knew she could count on Pride, not that she couldn't have before. Sometimes, she just needed to be reminded.


End file.
